Template for ironing

ABSTRACT

A template for ironing includes a heat-resistant sheet member having first through fourth peripheral edges. The first edge is straight, having a first end and a second end. The second edge, extending from the first end of the first edge, is straight and longer than the first edge. The third edge is straight, extending from the second end of the first edge. The fourth edge is curved and connected to the third edge via a step portion protruding outward. At least one of the first and second surfaces of the sheet member is provided with a plurality of first scale marks and second scale marks. The first scale marks are parallel to the second peripheral edge, and the second scale marks are curved and spaced apart from the fourth edge by predetermined distances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a template that is used in performingironing in order to, for example, fold over an edge of a piece of clothin sewing, handicrafts, and the like.

2. Description of Related Art

Generally, in the fields of sewing, handicrafts, and the like, an ironis used to, for example, fold an edge for a seam allowance of cut piecesor make a pleat and the like, and when, for example, folding a hem of aproduct such as a skirt. A template for use in performing an ironingoperation of this type is known (see Japanese Design Registration No.1221724, for example). The template for ironing disclosed in JapaneseDesign Registration No. 1221724 is composed of a sheet member made of aheat-resistant material, and has a shape that is generally formed bycombining a square and a rectangle together. Therefore, an outerperipheral edge of the sheet member has a plurality of straightline-shaped peripheral edge portions with any two adjacent peripheraledge portions thereof making right angles with one another. Moreover,straight line-shaped scale marks are provided on one surface of thesheet member at predetermined intervals from each of the straightline-shaped peripheral edge portions.

When such a template for ironing is used, first, the template is laid ontop of a piece of cloth and disposed near that portion of an edge of thecloth that is to be folded over. Next, the cloth is folded over suchthat the edge of the cloth is aligned with a scale mark while the foldis applied to a straight line-shaped peripheral edge portion of thetemplate (sheet member), and the cloth is ironed over the fold. Thus,with respect to a straight line-shaped edge of a piece of cloth, afolded-over portion having a substantially uniform width can be formed.

However, with the above-described template for ironing, when, forexample, folding over a curve-shaped end edge such as a hem of a skirt,it is difficult to fold over the edge with a uniform width, and thefolding line tends to have the shape of a straight line instead ofhaving the shape of a curve. Therefore, there is room for improvement inthe above-described conventional template for ironing in terms of theease of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was conceived in light of the above-describedcircumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a template forironing with improved ease of use as compared with the above-describedconventional template for ironing.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided atemplate for ironing, where the template is provided by a sheet membermade of a heat-resistant material and including a first surface and asecond surface opposite to the first surface. The sheet member mayinclude a first, a second, a third and a fourth peripheral edges. Thefirst peripheral edge is straight and has a first end and a second end.The second peripheral edge extends from the first end of the firstperipheral edge, and is straight and longer than the first peripheraledge. The third peripheral edge is straight and extends from the secondend of the first peripheral edge. The fourth peripheral edge is curvedand connected to the third peripheral edge via a step portion protrudingoutward beyond the third peripheral edge as viewed in a thicknessdirection of the sheet member. At least one of the first surface and thesecond surface of the sheet member is provided with a plurality of firstscale marks and a plurality of second scale marks. The plurality offirst scale marks are parallel to the second peripheral edge, and theplurality of second scale marks are curved and spaced apart from thefourth peripheral edge by predetermined distances.

Preferably, the third peripheral edge may be longer than the firstperipheral edge and shorter than the second peripheral edge.

Preferably, the second peripheral edge and the third peripheral edge maybe parallel to each other.

Preferably, the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge maybe perpendicular to each other, and the first peripheral edge and thethird peripheral edge may be perpendicular to each other. Further, atleast one of the first surface and the second surface may be providedwith a plurality of third scale marks that are parallel to the firstperipheral edge.

Preferably, the first peripheral edge may have a length that is equal toor less than ⅓ of a length of the second peripheral edge.

Preferably, the sheet member may have a fifth peripheral edge that isstraight and connects the second peripheral edge and the fourthperipheral edge to each other. Further, the first peripheral edge andthe second peripheral edge may be perpendicular to each other, the firstperipheral edge and the third peripheral edge may be perpendicular toeach other, and the first peripheral edge and the fifth peripheral edgemay be parallel to each other.

Preferably, the fifth peripheral edge may be shorter than the firstperipheral edge.

Preferably, the fourth peripheral edge is convex outward.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a template for ironingaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the template for ironing shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining a manner in which the template forironing shown in FIG. 1 is used.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the manner in which the templatefor ironing shown in FIG. 1 is used.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the manner in which the templatefor ironing shown in FIG. 1 is used.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another example of the template forironing according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing still another example of the template forironing according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a template for ironing according tothe present invention. A template for ironing A1 of the presentembodiment includes an elongated sheet member 1 and is used when ironingis performed to, for example, fold over an edge of a piece of cloth.

The sheet member 1 is made of a heat-resistant material obtained by, forexample, compression molding heat-resistant fibers such as nylon so asto felt the fibers, and has a substantially uniform thickness. Thethickness of the sheet member 1 may be, for example, about 0.8 to 1.2mm. An outer peripheral edge 10 of the sheet member 1 has peripheraledge portions 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. The peripheral edge portions 11,12, 13, and 15 individually have the shape of a straight line. Theperipheral edge portions 11 and 15 extend in a transverse direction “y”and are parallel to each other. The peripheral edge portions 12 and 13extend in a longitudinal direction “x” and are parallel to each other.

More specifically, the peripheral edge portion 12 extends from one endportion of the peripheral edge portion 11 at a predetermined angle tothe peripheral edge portion 11, and the peripheral edge portion 13extends from the other end portion of the peripheral edge portion 11 ata predetermined angle to the peripheral edge portion 11. In the presentembodiment, the angle between the peripheral edge portions 11 and 12 andthe angle between the peripheral edge portions 11 and 13 are rightangles.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the peripheral edge portion 14 is located on aside (left side in FIG. 1) that is opposite to the peripheral edgeportion 11, which is located on the right side in FIG. 1, with respectto the peripheral edge portion 13. A step portion 16 is present betweenthe peripheral edge portion 13 and the peripheral edge portion 14. Thisstep portion 16 protrudes outward (to the side indicated by arrow N1 inFIG. 1) beyond the peripheral edge portion 13 when viewed in a thicknessdirection of the sheet member 1. The peripheral edge portion 14 has theshape of a curve that is curved or convex outward (to the side indicatedby arrow N1), and may be, for example, a circular arc having a certainradius of curvature. The radius of curvature of the peripheral edgeportion 14 may be, for example, about 30 to 90 cm and preferably 50 to60 cm.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the peripheral edge portion 15 connects an endportion of the peripheral edge portion 12 that is on a side opposite tothe peripheral edge portion 11 and an end portion of the peripheral edgeportion 14 that is on a side (left side in FIG. 1) opposite to theperipheral edge portion 13 to each other.

A plurality of scale marks are provided on at least one surface 1 a ofthe sheet member 1. The plurality of scale marks include scale marks 11a, 11 b, and 11 c that are set based on the peripheral edge portion 11,scale marks 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c that are set based on the peripheraledge portion 12, and scale marks 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c that are set basedon the peripheral edge portion 14.

The scale marks 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c that are set based on theperipheral edge portion 11 are provided parallel to the peripheral edgeportion 11 at predetermined intervals. A plurality of the scale marks 11a are provided at intervals of 1 cm from the peripheral edge portion 11,and are shown by thick lines. The scale marks 11 b are the lines thatbisect respective spaces between adjacent two scale marks 11 a andbetween the peripheral edge portion 11 and the scale mark 11 a adjacentthereto. That is to say, a plurality of the scale marks 11 b areprovided, each being spaced apart from the corresponding scale marks 11a by 0.5 cm, and are shown by thin lines. The scale mark 11 c isprovided at a distance of 0.8 cm from the peripheral edge portion 11,and is shown by a dashed line.

The scale marks 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c that are set based on theperipheral edge portion 12 are provided parallel to the peripheral edgeportion 12 at predetermined intervals. A plurality of the scale marks 12a are provided at intervals of 1 cm from the peripheral edge portion 12,and are shown by thick lines. The scale marks 12 b are the lines thatbisect respective spaces between adjacent two scale marks 12 a andbetween the peripheral edge portion 12 and the scale mark 12 a adjacentthereto. A plurality of the scale marks 12 b are provided, each beingspaced apart from the corresponding scale marks 12 a by a distance of0.5 cm, and are shown by thin lines. The scale mark 12 c is provided ata distance of 0.8 cm from the peripheral edge portion 12, and is shownby a dashed line.

The scale marks 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c that are set based on theperipheral edge portion 14 are individually spaced apart from theperipheral edge portion 14 by respective predetermined distances, andeach have the shape of a curve. A plurality of the scale marks 14 a areprovided at intervals of 1 cm from the peripheral edge portion 14, andare shown by long-short dashed lines (thick lines). The scale marks 14 bare the lines that bisect respective spaces between adjacent two scalemarks 14 a and between the peripheral edge portion 14 and the scale mark14 a adjacent thereto. A plurality of the scale marks 14 b are provided,each being spaced apart from the corresponding scale marks 14 a by adistance of 0.5 cm, and are shown by long-short dashed lines (thinlines). The scale mark 14 c is provided at a distance of 0.8 cm from theperipheral edge portion 14, and is shown by a dashed line.

The relationship among the lengths of the respective peripheral edgeportions 11 to 15 will be described. First, the peripheral edge portion12 is the longest of all the peripheral edge portions 11 to 15. Althoughthe details will be described later, this peripheral edge portion 12 isa portion to be used to fold over a relatively long range of a straightedge of a piece of cloth at once. The ratio of the length of theperipheral edge portion 11 to the length of the peripheral edge portion12 may be, for example, ⅓ or less. The ratio of the length of theperipheral edge portion 11 to the length of the peripheral edge portion12 may vary depending on the length of the peripheral edge portion 11.In the case where the length of the peripheral edge portion 11 isrelatively short, the ratio of the length of the peripheral edge portion11 to the length of the peripheral edge portion 12 may be set at about ⅕or less. The peripheral edge portion 13 is longer than the peripheraledge portion 11 and shorter than the peripheral edge portion 12.Moreover, in the present embodiment, the peripheral edge portion 15 isshorter than the peripheral edge portion 11.

In one example, the peripheral edge portions 11 to 15 may have thefollowing lengths: the peripheral edge portion 11, 5 cm; the peripheraledge portion 12, 25 cm; the peripheral edge portion 13, 17 cm; and theperipheral edge portion 15, about 4.5 cm.

Next, a manner in which the template for ironing A1 having theabove-described configuration is used and the effects thereof will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

When the template for ironing A1 is used to fold over an edge of acurve-shaped portion such as a hem of a skirt, as shown in FIG. 3, thetemplate for ironing A1 is placed on a piece of cloth C such that theperipheral edge portion 14 is at a distance from an edge Ce of the clothC. Next, as can be understood from FIG. 4, the cloth C is folded overwith one hand such that the edge Ce is aligned with a scale mark 14 b(14 a, 14 c) while the fold is applied to the peripheral edge portion14. In this state, the cloth C is ironed over the fold with the otherhand. Thus, with respect to the curve-shaped edge Ce of the cloth C, afolded-over portion T1 having a substantially uniform width can beformed. A folding line L1 of the thus formed folded-over portion T1 hasthe shape of a curve, and thus, even the curve-shaped edge Ce can beappropriately folded over. It should be noted that in the state shown inFIG. 4, when ironing is performed while shifting the template forironing A1 leftward in FIG. 4, the curved folded-over portion T1 can becontinuously formed. Moreover, although not shown, a corner portionformed by the peripheral edge portion 14 and the step portion 16 and acorner portion formed by the peripheral edge portion 14 and theperipheral edge portion 15 may also be rounded. If those corner portionsare rounded, it can be expected that when the template for ironing isshifted on the cloth C, phenomena in which, for example, the templatefor ironing gets caught on the cloth C are suppressed.

The curve-shaped scale marks 14 a, 14 b are provided on the surface 1 aof the template for ironing A1 (sheet member 1) at predeterminedintervals from the peripheral edge portion 14. A folded-over portion T1having a substantially exact desired width can be formed by selectingand using one of these scale marks 14 a, 14 b as appropriate. Moreover,when the cloth C is folded over such that the edge Ce is aligned withthe scale mark 14 c, a folded-over portion T1 that is suitable as a seamallowance can be formed.

The step portion 16 protruding outward (to the side indicated by arrowN1 in FIG. 1) is provided between the straight line-shaped peripheraledge portion 13 and the curve-shaped peripheral edge portion 14. Withthe configuration including this step portion 16, even when theperipheral edge portion 14 is entirely covered by the cloth C when theedge Ce of the cloth C is folded over, an end portion of thecurve-shaped peripheral edge portion 14 that is close to the peripheraledge portion 13 is easily recognized during ironing. Accordingly, whencompared with the case where, for example, a curve-shaped peripheraledge portion and a straight line-shaped peripheral edge portion arecontinuous with each other, problems such as the formation of anunintended straight line-shaped folded-over portion T1 can be prevented.

The straight line-shaped peripheral edge portion 12 is the longest ofall the peripheral edge portions 11 to 15, and the peripheral edgeportion 12 may be at least three or more times and in some cases five ormore times longer than the peripheral edge portion 11. When theperipheral edge portion 12 that is longer than a conventional one isused as described above, a relatively long range of a straight edge ofthe cloth C can be folded over at once, and thus the ironing operationcan be efficiently performed. The effects of the scale marks 12 a, 12 b,and 12 c corresponding to the peripheral edge portion 12 are the same asthose described above with regard to the scale marks 14 a, 14 b, and 14c of the peripheral edge portion 14.

The ratio of the length of the peripheral edge portion 11 to the lengthof the peripheral edge portion 12 may be ⅓ or less, and so the straightline-shaped peripheral edge portion 11 is considerably shorter than theperipheral edge portion 12. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 5,the peripheral edge portion 11 can be used to fold over the curve-shapededge Ce of the cloth C. In the case where the radius of curvature of theedge Ce is relatively large (i.e., the curve is gentle), a curvedfolded-over portion T1 can be formed even when the short peripheral edgeportion 11 is used. Moreover, the peripheral edge portion 11 can also beused to fold over a relatively small tubular portion such as a cuff. Theeffects of the scale marks 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c corresponding to theperipheral edge portion 11 are the same as those described above withregard to the scale marks 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c of the peripheral edgeportion 14.

The peripheral edge portions 11 and 15 are parallel to each other, andthe peripheral edge portions 12 and 13 extend at right angles to theperipheral edge portion 11. Accordingly, the template for ironing A1(sheet member 1) shown in FIG. 1 has a substantially elongatedrectangular overall shape. In addition, when attention is focused on theperipheral edge portion 14 and its neighboring portions, one end portionof the peripheral edge portion 14 (end portion that is close to theperipheral edge portion 13) protrudes outward beyond the peripheral edgeportion 13. On the other hand, the peripheral edge portion 14 approachesthe peripheral edge portion 12 from that end portion toward the otherend portion (end portion that is close to peripheral edge portion 15)thereof, and thus the peripheral edge portion 15 is shorter than theperipheral edge portion 11. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, theperipheral edge portion 14 that is curved outward via the step portion16 protruding outward is provided, and also the overall shape of thetemplate for ironing A1 (sheet member 1) approximates to an elongatedrectangular shape and has no portion that significantly protrudesoutward. The shape that is contrived in this manner makes it possiblethat during production of the template for ironing A1 (sheet member 1),for example, in the case where multiple sheet members 1 are formed byblanking from a series of sheet materials which the sheet members 1 aremade of, wasteful use of the sheet materials is reduced.

While a specific embodiment of the present invention has been describedabove, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment,and various modifications are possible without departing from the gistof the invention. It should be understood that specific shapes andmaterials of the template for ironing according to the present inventionalso are not limited to those described in the foregoing embodiment.

In the foregoing embodiment, the peripheral edge portion 14 protrudesoutward most at its end portion that is close to the peripheral edgeportion 13 and approaches the peripheral edge portion 12 from this endportion toward the end portion that is close to the peripheral edgeportion 15, whereby the peripheral edge portion 15 is shorter than theperipheral edge portion 11. However, the configuration of the peripheraledge portion 14 and the peripheral edge portion 15 is not limited tothis. For example, as in the case of a template for ironing A2 shown inFIG. 6, a central portion of the peripheral edge portion 14 with respectto the left-right direction in FIG. 6 may protrude outward most, and theperipheral edge portion 15 may be longer than the peripheral edgeportion 11. In FIG. 6, the scale marks are omitted. Further, in thisembodiment, the corner portion formed by the peripheral edge portion 14and the step portion 16 and the corner portion formed by the peripheraledge portion 14 and the peripheral edge portion 15 are rounded.

Moreover, in the foregoing embodiment, a case where the peripheral edgeportions 11 and 15 are parallel to each other and the peripheral edgeportions 12 and 13 are parallel to each other has been described.However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, asin the case of a template for ironing A3 shown in FIG. 7, an embodimentin which the peripheral edge portions 12 and 13 are not parallel to eachother is also possible, and a configuration in which the peripheral edgeportion 14 extends so as to be joined to the peripheral edge portion 12,and thus the peripheral edge portion 15 is substantially eliminated mayalso be adopted. The scale marks are omitted from FIG. 7.

1. A template for ironing, comprising: a sheet member made of aheat-resistant material and including a first surface and a secondsurface opposite to the first surface; wherein the sheet memberincludes: a first peripheral edge that is straight and has a first endand a second end; a second peripheral edge extending from the first endof the first peripheral edge, the second peripheral edge being straightand longer than the first peripheral edge; a third peripheral edge thatis straight and extends from the second end of the first peripheraledge; and a fourth peripheral edge that is curved and connected to thethird peripheral edge via a step portion protruding outward beyond thethird peripheral edge as viewed in a thickness direction of the sheetmember; and wherein at least one of the first surface and the secondsurface of the sheet member is provided with a plurality of first scalemarks and a plurality of second scale marks, the plurality of firstscale marks being parallel to the second peripheral edge, the pluralityof second scale marks being curved and spaced apart from the fourthperipheral edge by predetermined distances.
 2. The template according toclaim 1, wherein the third peripheral edge is longer than the firstperipheral edge and shorter than the second peripheral edge.
 3. Thetemplate according to claim 1, wherein the second peripheral edge andthe third peripheral edge are parallel to each other.
 4. The templateaccording to claim 1, wherein the first peripheral edge and the secondperipheral edge are perpendicular to each other, and the firstperipheral edge and the third peripheral edge are perpendicular to eachother, and wherein said at least one of the first surface and the secondsurface is provided with a plurality of third scale marks that areparallel to the first peripheral edge.
 5. The template according toclaim 1, wherein the first peripheral edge has a length that is equal toor less than ⅓ of a length of the second peripheral edge.
 6. Thetemplate according to claim 1, wherein the sheet member has a fifthperipheral edge that is straight and connects the second peripheral edgeand the fourth peripheral edge to each other, wherein the firstperipheral edge and the second peripheral edge are perpendicular to eachother, and the first peripheral edge and the third peripheral edge areperpendicular to each other, and wherein the first peripheral edge andthe fifth peripheral edge are parallel to each other.
 7. The templateaccording to claim 6, wherein the fifth peripheral edge is shorter thanthe first peripheral edge.
 8. The template according to claim 1, whereinthe fourth peripheral edge is convex outward.